If you know Lisbon, you have heard of and/or visited the Gulbenkian Museum which takes pride of place in the capital on art and culture. Madeira Island, possesses also an inspiring cube-shaped museum in Calheta, the „Casa das Mudas“. Sadly, in recent years, it was neglected and underused, and hardly anyone visits it (visible as a big, modern block, on a hilltop above Calheta Beach). You could pluck it out, and place it in Paris or London, and it would fit right in with the big city demands of excellence.
Still today, it has not made a big name for it, because the expositions are not changed very much, the museum does not have a shuttle and the opening times are a sad display of disinterest (https://visitmadeira.com/pt/onde-ir/madeira/costa-oeste/calheta/casa-das-mudas/. It is only open from Tuesday to Saturday, and ups! there is even a Lunch time break. It is managed by the Government.
Now in Funchal, the City Hall has converted an old space near the SPAD kennel, beside the road up to the “Via Rapida” and to Boa Nova, for a new cultural space, the CCIF (https://cultura.funchal.pt/ccif/). The building used to be the old slaughterhouse for animals. (Someone in the group, on the sensitive side, said that he could not sense the cruelty and anguish which must have filled the space, now…) It has been completely remodeled. Remnants of the old installations can be seen in the metal rails on the ceiling and the power generator for the refrigeration once used.
The exhibition part is painted outside in dark red, the Events and Concert area is clad in white, upright stripes of concrete. (All surrounded by a beautiful garden, with ample space for parking but, no, you cannot park there. Walk up from Campo da Barca, and approach the building from the road behind the Firemen’s building BVM).
The interior is very appealing. On two floors, exhibitions can be hosted, and at this time, a “Bienal” is showing a design exhibition of the first stare. (https://cultura.funchal.pt/ccif/, sorry, all in Portuguese). It is about natural materials and the effects of the choices of material which puts us into astonishment. A wicker chair is more of a flying carpet, really. Cork abounds, and if you’d like to have a broad cork chair or a bathtub made of cork, go and have a look! A simple coffee table, a wall carpet, and porcelain elements put us into awe (and I was there with a couple of designers). All these somewhat simple items, are suddenly exciting, and full of creativity.
In the cafeteria, not with service during normal days, you can play around with one of these fancy coffee machine dispensers, and in the courtyard, try to sit on a kind of spindle, which will throw you off balance but not drop you to the ground. Good for kids and adults!
As you can see, I am trying to make the place known; the exhibitions (free of charge) are changing every three months, and if the City Hall managers continue with the choices and work they have pursued so far, we have another small “Gulbenkian” on Madeira Island.
Ursula Hahn
info at madeira-weekly.com
